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Two island swans mated for life,
And his faithful heart would not consider any other wife;
For three years, peaceful joy midst the rushes on the pond,
Proud and gentle was the loving of the last two island swans.
Their love was like a circle, no beginning and no end,
With his lady by his side a treasure and his friend;
And the pond was oh so peaceful with the rising of the sun,
Young and free, like the island's breeze, their life was just begun.
Till a dread day in November when the sear cold did start,
Stalks the hunter with his bow, he put an arrow through her heart;
Oh, husband, come to my side let your feathers warm my pain,
For I fear I will not spend another day with you again.
And the cold winds blow.
He was brave but he's laid low
By her body in the isle of mist;
I saw him give her one last cold kiss,
One last cold kiss.
Of swans the people talk of only one in this day's tide,
Brought him twenty ladies he would take no other bride;
They say he will not move from the place where she did fall,
Once so proud, he's beaten now, he will not speak at all.
And the cold winds blow.
He was brave but he's laid low
By her body in the isle of mist;
I saw him give her one last cold kiss,
One last cold kiss.
Note: On April 17, 1983, Gail Collins Papalardi shot and killed her husband, Felix Papalardi, who had played bass and keybord and was the founder of the band Mountain in the 70s. He had also been the producer for the rock group Cream. He was 41 at the time and was shot in the neck with a .38 caliber pistol after he returned from his girlfriend's apartment. His wife claimed she shot her husband accidentally while he was teaching her to use a gun. She was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, and was sentenced to the maximum term of four years in jail.
